Cultural Dispositions: Cultural Frameworks

Individualism vs. Collectivism

This dimension refers to the importance of the individual as opposed to the importance of the group. In an individualistic society the needs, preferences and desires of the individual receive more attention than the needs of the collective group. It emphasizes the "me" over "we." The rights of the individual and privacy are of paramount importance. Australia and Great Britain are examples of individualistic societies.

Collectivism refers to cultures where the needs of the individual are subordinate to those of the group. For greater security, organization, people are more "we" orientated. Collectivists societies include Pakistan, Greece and Peru.

Individualism/Collectivism is one of the most robust dimensions of culture. It describes how members of a culture determine their identity. Other frameworks have used scales describing this construct the compare autonomy vs group welfare, age and generational differences and social status.

On a GV team the team startup process is a good place to identify whether team members are individualistic or collective in their thinking and actions. This will help the GV team leader assign tasks to the team members' strengths. It also helps the team form a unified vision so even individualistic members will feel part of the group and have a group identity. Care should be taken so GV teams do not form subgroups that demonstrate a strong collectivist attitude to the subgroup than to the total team.